Record-equalling win for Loeb

France's 2004 world champion Sebastien Loeb clinched victory in the 25-stage Rally of Australia on Sunday to finish the season with a record-equalling six rally wins.

Citroen driver Loeb won his first drivers' championship by a massive 36 points and matched his fellow countryman Didier Auriol's 1992 record of six victories in a single season.

Loeb, who won two of Sunday's six stages, finished second in the 25th and final stage in Western Australia to beat Finland's Peugeot driver Harri Rovanpera by one minute 55.1 seconds overall.

Belgium's Ford driver Francois Duval was third, three minutes 40.2 behind the 30-year-old Loeb, who had sealed his world title last month.

Loeb said: "Last year was very close with Petter (Solberg, who won the 2003 championship by one point from Loeb). But this is my sixth win for the season, so it's a record."

Finland's double world champion Marcus Gronholm had been leading the rally before going into a 360-degree spin and slamming into a tree in Saturday's opening stage and withdrawing from the event, escaping unhurt.

He was allowed back on Sunday under a new regulation which lets a driver retired from a rally resume, though without being eligible in the overall standings for the race.

Unhappily, Gronholm hit another tree and was flown to hospital for checks after his car ended upside-down.

The Finn had been performing well with three seconds and one third placing in the first four stages on Sunday.

Norway's Solberg, who finished second in the world championship standings on 82 points behind Loeb's 118, hit a rock on Friday and withdrew after damaging the steering on his Subaru.

He too was allowed back in and won five of Saturday's 10 stages and four more on Sunday.

"I tried my best and I am second in the world championship this year. In three years I have got two silver and one gold, so it's not too bad," Solberg said.

Solberg's nearest challengers for second place in the championship, Markko Martin of Estonia and Spaniard Carlos Sainz, both pulled out of the Australia event.

Martin, who finished third in the championship on 79 points, had engine trouble on Friday and the 42-year-old Sainz retired from the sport after crashing into a tree on Tuesday while preparing for the event.